Ukrainian forces use air strikes in battle for airport

A Ukrainian helicopter Mi-24 gunship fires its cannons against rebels at the main terminal building of Donetsk international airport. Three Ukrainian helicopter gunships mounted a heavy attack on the rebel-held international airport terminal at Donetsk on Monday, firing rockets and cannon and throwing out decoy flares as militants shot at them from the ground. ReutersA pro-Russian insurgent aims his rifle during fighting around the airport outside Donetsk, Ukraine. APA local and a news photographer run for cover near Donetsk international airport during heavy fighting. ReutersA rebel takes cover in a building near Donetsk international airport during heavy fighting. Ukrainian government warplanes carried out airstrikes against pro-Russian rebels who seized Donetsk international airport on Monday, triggering a battle in and around the complex in a show of force by both sides after the election of a new president. ReutersA family takes shelter in a building near Donetsk international airport during heavy fighting. ReutersSmoke billows from Donetsk international airport during heavy fighting between Ukrainian and pro-Russian forces. ReutersPro-Russian insurgents arrive with weapons, near the airport outside Donetsk, Ukraine. APPro-Russian separatists stand guard outside the house of Rinat Akhmetov in the eastern city of Donetsk. Scores of armed pro-Russian separatists massed outside the walled home of Ukraine's richest man, Rinat Akhmetov, in the eastern city of Donetsk on Sunday as Ukrainians voted for a new president. ReutersThe terminal of Donetsk international airport is seen at the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. Armed pro-Russian separatists forced a shutdown on Monday of Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine, an airport representative said, a day after they prevented a majority of the region's voters from taking part in presidential elections. ReutersA military truck with armed pro-Russian militants drives through a police check-point towards the airport of the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. ReutersPro-Russian insurgents on a truck carrying weapons arrive near the airport outside Donetsk, Ukraine. APA pro-Russian militia man walks taking position during fighting around the airport, outside Donetsk, Ukraine. APA Ukrainian helicopter gunship flies above areas where pro-Russian militias have taken position around the airport, outside Donetsk, Ukraine. APPro-Russian insurgents with weapons arrive near the airport outside Donetsk. Ukraine's military launched airstrikes Monday against the separatists who had taken over the airport in the eastern city of Donetsk, suggesting that fighting in the east is far from over. AP

A fierce battle for Donetsk airport, with Ukraine using air strikes and helicopter gunships against pro-Russian separatists, shattered the country's election day truce yesterday.

The city was engulfed in a bloody conflict for the first time as Ukrainian forces tried to retake the international airport from rebels who had occupied it just hours after the country had elected a new president.

While fighting has become a regular feature of life around the rebel stronghold of Slavyansk, there had not been street to street fighting in Donetsk until yesterday.

The battle began when fighters loyal to the so-called Donetsk People's Republic seized control of the airport in the early hours of the morning, in what appeared to be a show of force in response to Petro Poroshenko's victory in the presidential election.

Flights were suspended for several hours at the request of the rebels, who were demanding that troops from a small Ukrainian garrison who have secured the perimeter of the airport since the beginning of the crisis lay down their weapons.

But government forces launched a counter-attack at about noon, reportedly using helicopter-borne troops.

Heavy machine-gun fire and explosions from high explosive rounds, mortars and grenade launchers rent the air as the hours-long battle spilled out of the airport and into nearby residential neighbourhoods.

One dead civilian was seen at the city's main railway station, a mile and a half to the south, who police said had been killed by stray gunfire from the battle.

Earlier, Mr Poroshenko, the businessman who won Sunday's presidential election, had called for an intensification of the "anti-terrorist" operation in the region, although it was not clear whether he had ordered the attempt to retake the airport.

"The efficiency of the anti-terrorist operation will be sharply increased," he said.

"It shouldn't last for months – it should take a few hours."

Dmitry, a 19-year-old local who has joined the rebel fighters, said the Ukrainians deployed attack helicopters and jet fighters in the counter-attack.

"We're always ready for an attack, that something might happen, but we had no specific intelligence or reason to expect this," he said.

"About midday helicopters appeared from the north-east, then jet fighters. I heard one or two large explosions, which sounded like the aircraft had dropped bombs. Then the fighting started."

Battle

Dmitry described the battle as a Ukrainian army offensive in which government forces had the initiative, weight of numbers, and superior firepower.

"They had artillery preparation. We had a couple of shoulder-launched anti-aircraft rocket launchers and that was it," he said, as he took shelter in an alley less than a mile from the main entrance to the airport.

By mid-afternoon one group of rebel fighters retreated to a road intersection at a retail park near the airport in order to evacuate a seriously wounded fighter.

Shortly after the casualty had been driven off in a civilian car, sniper fire and mortar rounds began to began to close in on the position, forcing the fighters to withdraw further.

While it was impossible to tell who had the upper hand in the clash, the leadership of the Donetsk People's Republic claimed to have retained control of the airport.

But fighting continued as night began to fall, with helicopter gunships swooping low over the northern part of the city and the sound of heavy weapons fire continuing.